Surah 5 Al-Maaida — Ayah 70
لَقَدْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَٰقَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَأَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْهِمْ رُسُلًۭا ۖ كُلَّمَا جَآءَهُمْ رَسُولٌۢ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَىٰٓ أَنفُسُهُمْ فَرِيقًۭا كَذَّبُوا۟ وَفَرِيقًۭا يَقْتُلُونَ
We had already taken the covenant of the Children of Israel and had sent to them messengers. Whenever there came to them a messenger with what their souls did not desire, a party [of messengers] they denied, and another party they killed.
laqad akhadhnā mīthāqa banī is'rāīla wa-arsalnā ilayhim rusulan kullamā jāahum rasūlun bimā lā tahwā anfusuhum farīqan kadhabū wafarīqan yaqtulūna
Word by word
- لَقَدْ laqad Certainly
- أَخَذْنَا akhadhnā We took
- مِيثَـٰقَ mīthāqa a Covenant
- بَنِىٓ banī (from the) Children
- إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ is'rāīla (of) Israel
- وَأَرْسَلْنَآ wa-arsalnā and We sent
- إِلَيْهِمْ ilayhim to them
- رُسُلًۭا ۖ rusulan Messengers
- كُلَّمَا kullamā Whenever
- جَآءَهُمْ jāahum came to them
- رَسُولٌۢ rasūlun any Messenger
- بِمَا bimā with what
- لَا lā not
- تَهْوَىٰٓ tahwā desired
- أَنفُسُهُمْ anfusuhum their souls
- فَرِيقًۭا farīqan a group
- كَذَّبُوا۟ kadhabū they denied
- وَفَرِيقًۭا wafarīqan and a group
- يَقْتُلُونَ yaqtulūna they kill
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
(Whenever there came to them a Messenger with what they themselves desired not - a group of them they called liars, and others among them they killed. They thought there will be no Fitnah (trial or punishment) so they became blind and deaf.) thinking that they would suffer no repercussions for of the evil that they committed. Consequently, they were blinded from the truth and became deaf, incapable of hearing the truth. For these reasons they were unable to be guided by it. Allah forgave that, then,
(yet they became blind and deaf) again,
(many of them, and Allah is the All-Seer of what they do.) He has perfect knowledge of what they do and whomever among them deserves the guidance and whomever deserves misguidance.